Notes: One from the vaults – This Jim Beam Signature Craft Six Row Barley Bourbon bottle got lost for a bit while I was having a lot of things going on and recently uncovered this on along with its fraternal twin the 11 year Old Triticale Bourbon. Both were received a good while ago with no compensation or fee – as everything here is – just for the record.

Another one of the Jim Beam Signature Series but this one is a distinct departure in that it is an 11-year-old Six Row barley. Barley is usually a grain you find in either Scotch ( using a malted and usually smoked barley0 or an Irish Whiskey ( in which a malted barley is used). In this case, since it is a bourbon it is still at least 51% corn with this being a minor grain ( less than 49 % of the total mash bill). Beam does not state how much Barley constitutes the mashbill.

They also did a 12-Year-Old Small Batch edition and a Spanish Brandy Edition in this series. For a list of reviews of some of their other many products we have reviewed please click here

Appearance: Clear as a bell, nice mahogany color to it showing the signs of good aging and a fade from the yellow gold of younger whiskey to a redshift denoting older products/

First Impression: Definite Jim Beam signature smell, corn, char, spicy with char and vanilla undertones.

Taste: Interesting kind of malt ball. almost Ovaltine note to it with corn sweetness and malty caramel toastiness to it. Slight alkali chocolate notes to it with a slightly oily and heavier body than the average Jim Beam product .

Drinks: The Six Row Barley Bourbon is a bit of a hybrid. It could be used as an Irish type whisky with the malt overtones, or used as a regular if slightly idiosyncratic bourbon. Makes a lovely old fashioned or a horses neck, and a nice chocolate mint julep

Bottle: Flask shaped clear glass bottle shows the bourbon to good effect. Simple graphics are silk screened directly onto the bottle, unlike the earlier series which had a  clear plastic applied label. All the labels are easy to recognize at a distance. Small gold on a brown label that goes around the edge of the bottle gives the particulars and distinguishes it from the other signature craft bottling which is gold on red, or gold on black. Back label is also silkscreened on.  I’m guessing this shift was to give the bottle a more permanent and upscale feel. The previous incarnations seemed to be a trifle less plush. The neck collar has been done away with on these bottles also with a wooden topped real cork replacing the earlier screw cap. The  “None Genuine Without My Signature” paper seal that harks back to an earlier era remains and the overall impression is of a higher end presentation. Maybe they read my critique of the earlier bottles, or maybe not, in either case, they seemed to have definitely made this package look a lot better!

Other: The stated price on these was $49 a 375 ML which makes it rather steep. However, I am noticing that the market price is closer to $20, which is not bad for a 1/2 bottle of 11-year-old bourbon. This may be that the whiskey was closed out?, Or that Jim Beam had rather disappointing sales and decided to reduce the price.

Final Thoughts: An interesting bourbon with a unique mash bill. An interesting whiskey to enjoy and add to your collection.

Website: Jim Beam.com/en-us

A very extensive website with lots of links to their wide portfolio.
It is interesting to note they only list 2 of the 6 Signature releases on the site. This was not one of them.